Elastic fabric



June 14, 1938.

NA. CRIMMINS 2,120,665

ELASTIC FABRIC Filed April 11, .1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR NEIL A. CRIMMINS- ATTORNEY Patented June 14, 1938 UNITED STATES by mcsne assignments, to United States Rubber Products, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application April 11, 1932, Serial No. 604,586

6 Claims.

This invention relates to elastic fabrics of the kind used in the manufacture of corsets, brassieres, belts, bathing suits, stockings, surgical and other articles in which elastic fabrics enter into the construction in one way or another.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an improved light-weight elastic fabric having a controlled amount of stretch in two different directions.

Another object of the invention is to provide a thin, light-weight, strong and durable knitted elastic fabric of decidedly porous texture, having a restricted short, snappy stretch and quick contraction in the direction of the knitted loops, and a long easy stretch in the direction of the courses.

Another object of the invention is to provide an elastic fabric of the type referred to, in which the interlaced elastic and inelastic threads cooperate to establish a firm anchorage for sewing machine stitches when sections of the fabric are sewed together or to other sections of cloth as in the manufacture of corsets and the like.

Mostof the elastic fabrics heretofore used in the manufacture of corsets and other extensible garments have possessed only a one-way stretch. This has been obtained by knitting, weaving or braiding cotton, silk, rayon or other inextensible threads in the customary manner, and inserting covered rubber threads between the rows of knit ted loops, or between the warp or braiding threads, depending upon the type of fabric employed. This gives the required longitudinal extension and contractionin the fabric, or circumferential extension and contraction in the finished garment, but makes no provision for stretch in a transverse direction.

When elastic fabrics of this type are used in corsets and other garments the circumferential extension and contraction are usually satisfactory, confining the diaphragm and abdomen in accordance with the dictates of fashion, but the results are more or less unsatisfactory to the wearer because bodily movements in a forward or sidewise manner cause the garment to get out of position or ride up" on the figure with considerable discomfort to the wearer and necessarily requiring constant readjustment. Modern scientific development shows that much better results can be obtained by using an elastic fabric having the desired degrees of extension and contraction in both directions, that is, vertically and horizontally as used in the garment.

Some attempts have been made to construct an elastic fabric having a'two-way stretch, butthese attempts have usually resulted in unattractive, loose sleazy structures without TENT OFFICE the necessary controlled stretch or constricting qualities required in modern garments. Other attempts have resulted in tightly knitted open structures similar to what is known as the grenadine stitch on warp knit fabrics, but these fabrics never had the proper controlled stretch and their texture has been too harsh and irritating to permit them to be worn next to the body.

My improved elastic fabric may be constructed in various ways, but it preferably comprises a knitted structure having a restricted short, snappy stretch and quick contraction in the direction "of the knitted loops, and a long easy stretch in the direction of the courses.

When

the fabric is used in a corset or similar garment,

the short snappy stretch and quick 'in the direction of the loop supplies contraction the restricpensated by the a decided increase in comfort to the wearer.

My elastic fabric is also thinner and more porous fabrics which have usually employed ered rubber threads in order to give stretch. Where previous fabrics have used heavy controlled two-way stretch, with and convenience considerably lighter, than previous elastic bulky covthe desired rubber threads of considerable tensile strength, laid between the loops of alternate courses, I use a very fine rubber thread having ver sile strength in itself, but looped and so closely and so many times that strong fabric y little teninterwound it makes a which is much lighter and decidedly more comfortable to wear than previous fabrics employed in the manufacture of garments.

In the preferred form of the invention I obtain these and other improved results in a knitted fabric employing a novel construction of knitted loops, having a relatively large number of inelastic courses composed of fine silk, or the like, and a relatively small cotton yarn number of intermediate courses composed of fine covered elastic threads interspersed throughout the fabric and interlooped with said inelastic threads, and preferably having additionalv covered elastic threads laid in unlooped fashion between loops of certain of the inelastic courses.

principal factor of elastic strength re the The sides in the machine stitches when sections of the elastic fabric are sewed together or to other sections of cloth.

These and other features and advantages of the invention will be described in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view, on a slightly enlarged scale, showing one form of knitted elastic fabric constructed according to my invention;

Fig. 2 is a similar view on a greatly enlarged scale and with the proportions exaggerated somewhat to show the unique loop formation and the relative positions of the elastic and inelastic threads;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view showing the fabric stretched horizontally, or in the direction of the l ps:

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the fabric stretched in a vertical direction, or in the direction of the courses;

Fig- 5 is an enlarged view showing one form of covered elastic thread which may be employed in the construction of the fabric;

Fig. 6 is a side view of a torso wearing a corset containing an elastic fabric constructed according to the invention, illustrating the two-way stretch when in a standing position; and

Fig. '7 is a similar view illustrating the adjustment of the fabric when the wearer assumes a bending or sitting position.

In the fabric shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the strand i is a fine covered elastic thread of any suitable construction, such as that shown Fig. 5 which will be described later. This course is knitted on two sets of needles, either on a machine well known in the art as a circular dial-to-cylinder machine, in which the cylinder and dial may revolve and the cam ring remain stationary, or the cam ring revolve and the cylinder and dial remain stationary; or on a fiat or straight bed machine in which fiat beds accommodating and actuating the needles are in opposite relation to each other. The needles in the dial and cylinder in the opposing fiat beds pull the loops in opposite directions.

The course 2 may consist of fine rayon or other suitable textile fibres knitted on both sets of needles. A covered elastic thread 3, which may be similar in construction to the thread I, is laid between the loops of the course 2. The

course 4 may be a fine rayon and cotton thread,'

with the rayon plated on the cotton so as to present a silky surface, although any other suitable textile fibre may be employed.

In each course 4 the thread is knitted in alternate wales and floated past the intervening wales of the adjacent courses as indicated at 6 in Fig. 2. The course 4 is knitted on only one set of needles, the other set of needles remaining inactive but retaining their loops from the preceding course 5. The course 5 may consist of rayon, knitted on both sets of needles, pulling their loops in opposite direction. The foregoing arrangement of courses is then repeated as best shown in Fig. 2.

The elastic threads I and 3 may be of the type disclosed in a copendingv application (if N. A.

'Crimmins and W. F. Alden, Serial No. 513,492,

filed February 5, 1931, Patent No. 1,853,551, issued April 12, 1932, one form of which is illustrated in Fig. 5. This thread consists of one or more rubber core threads or strands I on which are wrapped a plurality of superimposed spirally wound textile cover threads 8, 9, I0 and II.

The innermost cover 8, consisting of two ends of suitable textile fibres such as cotton, is wound upon the rubber core preferably with a short pitched close spiral so that it completely encloses the rubber core when in the normal contracted condition shown in the drawings.

The second cover 9 is generally similar to the first cover, but is preferably composed of three ends of textile fibres wound in the opposite direction over the first cover, also in a short pitched close spiral. The covers 8 and 9 together substantially cover and conceal the rubber core even when it is stretched to the limit of its elasticity.

The third cover I0 is preferably composed of one end of fine, hard twisted cotton which is wound tightly over the inner covers in a long pitched open spiral running in the opposite direction to the cover 9. The fourth cover il is also composed of one end of hard twisted cotton which is wound in an opposite direction to the cover l0, also in a long pitched open spiral.

The covers 8 and 9 serve to protect and strengthen the rubber core, and also cooperate in controlling the stretch thereof. Covers Ill and II, with their long pitched open spirals, cooperate in compressing the first two covers, causing the resulting extensible encasement to grip the rubber core and causing the cover 9 to protrude or bulge .out between the open spirals, raising countless small ridges or corrugations continuously around the outer surface of the thread.

The several covers forming the encasement about the rubber core 1' will tighten and reach the breaking point at substantially the same time, well within the elastic limit of the rubber core,

' limiting the stretch of the rubber and insuring that the breaking points of the core and all the covers are reached at approximately the same point. The roughened or bulging gripping surfaces of the covered elastic threads cooperate with the knitted loops of the fabric to retard .slippage, and also provide a substantial holding surface for sewing machine stitches when sections of the elastic fabric are stitched together or to other sections of cloth.

Fig. 3 shows the elastic fabric stretched horizontally, or in the direction of the knitted loops,

' while Fig. 4 shows the fabric stretched in a verthe relatively small number of interposed elastic courses' I, closely interlooped with the adjacent inelastic courses, give the fabric a short snappy stretch and quick contraction inthe direction of, the loops as indicatedin Fig. 3, while the elastic courses I and inlaid elastic threads 3 give the fabric a long easy stretch in the direction of the courses (lengthwise of the threads I and 3) as shown in Fig. 4.

The advantage of this unique two-way stretch is illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7 which show a corset ll of any-suitable type, having side elastic inserts l3 constructed in accordance with my invention. The knitted loops or wales extend horizontally or circumferentially in the garment, while the courses run in a vertical direction, as previously described in connection with Figs. 2 to 4. The

short snappy stretch and quick contraction in the direction of the knitted loops supply the restriction and regulation required in a circumferential direction in any position the wearermay assume. The long easy vertical stretch, in the direction of the courses, enables the garment to adjust itself easily when the wearer assumes a sitting position, or bends over in any direction. Consequently the garment has notendency to get out of position or ride up on the figure as heretofore.

It will also be seen that the above construction and incorporation of knitted courses of fine rubber thread and inserts of unlooped fine rubber thread make it possible to obtain a greater degree of porosity than heretofore, giving better ventilation and absorbing perspiration more readily, in a thin light-weight fabric of the requisite tensile strength and with a regulated restricted degree of extension and contraction.

For the purposes of illustration I have shown and described one particular fabric embodying my invention, but it willbe evident that various changes may be made in details of construction without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. An elastic fabric having a relatively large number of courses composed of inelastic threads knitted in loop formation, a relatively small number of courses composed of elastic threads interspersed throughout said fabric and interlooped with the inelastic threads of adjacent courses, and elastic threads laid between the loops of inelastic threads of certain courses, said elastic threads each having a rubber core, an inner cover and an outer cover wound around the inner cover in a long pitched spiral compressing the inner cover and causing it to bulge out between the convolutions of the outer cover.

2. An elastic fabric having a relatively large number of courses composed of inelastic threads closely knitted in loop formation, permitting the fabric to extend more in the direction of the courses than in the direction of the loops, a relatively small number of courses composed of elastic threads interspersed throughout said fabric and interlooped with the inelastic threads, and elastic threads laid between the loops of certain of said inelastic threads, giving the fabric a short snappy stretch 1 and quick contraction in the direction of the loops and a long easy stretch in the direction of the courses.

3. An elastic fabric having a relatively large number of courses composed of inelastic threads knitted in loop formation, the threads being knitted in alternate wales and floated past the intervening wales in certain of said courses, a relatively small number of courses composed of elastic threads interspersed throughout said fabric and interlooped with the inelastic threads, and

elastic threads laid between the loops of certain of said inelastic threads, giving the fabric a short snappy stretch and quick contraction in the direction of the loops and a long easy stretch in the direction of the courses.

4. A light, porous elastic fabric having a relatively large numberof courses composed of fine inelastic threads closely knitted in loop formation, permitting the fabric to extend more. in the direction of the courses than in the direction of the loops, a relatively small number of spaced courses composed of fine elasticthreads interspersed throughout said fabric and each interlooped with the inelastic threads of adjacent courses, and a plurality of fine elastic threads laid between the loops of certain of said inelastic courses, giving the fabric a short snappy stretch and quick contraction in the direction of the loops and a long easy stretch in the direction of the courses.

5. A light, porous elastic fabric having a relatively large number of courses composed of fine inelastic threads closely knitted in loop formation with alternate loops of certain courses dropped and floated across the wales of adjacent courses, permitting the fabric to extend more in the direction of the courses than in the direction of the loops, a relatively small number of spaced courses composed of fine elastic threads interspersed throughout said fabric and each interlooped with the inelastic threads of adjacent courses, and a plurality of fine elastic threads laid between the loops of certain of said inelastic courses, giving the fabric a short snappy stretch and quick contraction in the direction of the loops and a long easy stretch in the direction of the courses.

6. A light, porous elastic fabric having a relatively large number of courses composed of fine inelastic threads closely knitted in loop formation, permitting the fabric to extend more in the direction of the courses than in the direction of the loops, a relatively small number of spaced courses composed of fine elastic threads interspersed throughout said fabric and each interlooped with the inelastic threads of adjacent courses, and a pluralityof fine elastic threads laid between the loops of certain of said inelastic courses, giving the fabric a short snappy stretch and quick contraction in the direction of the loops and along easy stretch in the direction of the courses, said elastic threads each having a rubber core, an inner cover wound around the core in a short pitched spiral and an outer cover wound around the inner cover in a long pitched spiral compressing the inner cover and causing it to bulge out between the convolutions of the outer cover.

NEIL A. CRIMMINS. 

